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An editorial of the Boston Herald acting on a statement of Nicholas Murray Butler's to the effect that the Universities of importance in this country only numbered about eight has drawn up a tentative list of these educational greats with Harvard at the head. It is very flattering to be named one of the elect, but the colleges relegated to the common herd with nothing to their credit presumably but pretensions to greatness must feel rather keenly the injustice of such sweeping statements.
The imposing superstructure of prestige is always a comfort to those in its shelter, but the difficulty is in creating a reputation for superiority in all forms of activity. Harvard's claim to the strength of tradition and mellow antiquity can hardly be disputed considering its great age in comparison with the other institutions, however. In South Bend, Indiana there is a college not even mentioned by the Boston Herald but which has established a standard of football which has been unsurpassed for some time. There are small colleges in which the Haison between teacher and pupil is much closer than in the large impersonal universities. Experimental institutions such as Rollins are blazing new trails in education and according to their own standards of excellence are the best in the country. It can almost be said that every college has something unique to offer which places it in a class by itself. Perhaps if there was more concurrence of opinions as to what ideals the Universities of today are striving for there would be more definite standards of general excellence by which to gauge them.
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